They do not
appreciate the significance of His kingdom as being spiritual
in nature.

Often this
is due to the fact that they do not know its history or
purpose of existence.

Discussion:

I.THE CHURCH WAS WITHIN THE MIND OF GOD BEFORE THE
FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.

A.The church was not an after thought, but rather within
God’s eternal purpose for the redemption of mankind.

1.In writing to the church at Ephesus, the Apostle Paul
declared, “According as he hath chosen us in him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before him in love.” (Eph. 1:4).

a.The Lord did not predestinate us as individuals, but
predestinated that all who obey the gospel will be added to the
church, which is His spiritual kingdom.

Acts 2:47,
“Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the
Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”

Col.
1:13, “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness,
and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:”

b.Contrary to the claims of many denominations, the church
was not an after thought of God, but was within His eternal
purpose.

Eph. 3:10-11,
“To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in
heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom
of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in
Christ Jesus our Lord:”

c.There were Jews who were going to force Jesus to be a
king over a physical kingdom.

John 6:15,
“When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take
him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a
mountain himself alone.”

II.THE PROPHETS PROPHESIED OF THE FUTURE ESTABLISHMENT OF
THE LORD’S CHURCH.

A.The prophet Isaiah foretold of the establishment of the
Lord’s spiritual house in which those of all nations would flow
unto it.

Isa. 2:2-3,
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the
mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of
the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all
nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say,
Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the
house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and
we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the
law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

1.The Great Commission is now in effect.

Matt.
28:18-20, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying,
All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:
and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
Amen.”

B.Daniel interpreted the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, the king
of Babylon (Dan. 2:31-44).

(The Lord’s spiritual kingdom would be established during the
time of the fourth empire from the time in which he spoke. From
the Babylon Empire, there would be the kingdoms of Medo-Persia,
the Greek Empire, and then the Roman Empire. The Lord’s eternal
spiritual kingdom would be established during the time of the
Roman Empire.)

Dan. 2:44,
“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set
up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom
shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces
and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.”

III.DURING THE PERSONAL MINISTRY OF THE SON OF GOD, HE
PROMISED TO BUILD HIS CHURCH.

A.Jesus Christ promised to build His church, which is His
spiritual kingdom.

1.During the personal ministry of both John the Baptist and
the Son of God, they spoke of the kingdom as being nigh at hand
(Matt. 3:1-2; 4:17).

B.Our Lord revealed in what manner His spiritual kingdom
would come into existence.

Matt.
16:18-19, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the
keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind
on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt
loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Mark
9:1, “And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That
there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of
death, till they have been the kingdom of God come with power.”

Luke
24:46-49, “And said unto them, Thus it is written, and
thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the
third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be
preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the
promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of
Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”

Acts
1:6-8, “When they therefore were come together, they
asked of him saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again
the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you
to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in
his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy
Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both
in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the
uttermost part of the earth.”

IV.ON THE FIRST PENTECOST AFTER THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS
CHRIST, HIS CHURCH CAME INTO EXISTANCE.

A.His spiritual kingdom, the church, came with power as the
Son of God had promised that it would.

Acts
2:1-5, 47, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come,
they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there
came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it
filled all the house where they were sitting. And there
appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat
upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy
Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave
them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews,
devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

…And the
Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”

B.After that Pentecost, the church / kingdom is spoken of
as being in existence.

Acts
8:1, “…the church which was at Jerusalem;…”

Col.
1:13, “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness,
and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:”

V.THE APOSTLES FOREWARNED OF A GREAT DIGRESSION FROM THE
FAITH.

A.A departure from the faith can and usually does begin in
a local congregation.

Acts
20:28-31, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to
all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you
overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased
with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing
shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the
flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking
perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore
watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased
not to warn every one night and day with tears.”

1 Cor.
1:10-13, “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and
that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly
joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For
it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which
are of the house of Clo’e, that there are contentions among
you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul;
and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ
divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were ye baptized in
the name of Paul.”

B.The Apostle Paul foretold of a general departure from the
faith.

1
Tim. 4:1-3, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in
the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed
to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in
hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which
God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which
believe and know the truth.”

VI.AFTER THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH IN THE FIRST
CENTURY, THERE WAS A CONTINUAL DIGRESSION FROM THE FAITH THAT
HAD ONCE AND FOR ALL BEEN DELIVERED UNTO THE SAINTS.

A.History records the digression and the development of
denominationalism.

1.In 606 the Catholic Church appointed their first Pope.
He became head of their church (2 Thess. 2:1-12).

1 Tim. 4:1-3,
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times
some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing
spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy;
having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to
marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath
created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe
and know the truth.”

a.After the church was established, the Son of God is
declared to be head of the church, not the Pope.

Col. 1:18,
“And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he
might have the preeminence.”

Eph.
1:22-23, “And hath put all things under his feet, and
gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is
his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.”

B. In the 1500s the Reformation took place with Martin
Luther.

1. Thereafter, hundreds
of denominations came into.

existence.

1 John 4:1,
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits
whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone
out into the world.”

1 Cor. 14:33,
“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in
all churches of the saints.”

1 Cor. 1:10,
“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no
divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in
the same mind and in the same judgment.”

VII.THE ERA OF THE RESTORATION.

(Brother Keith Sisman, a faithful gospel preacher in
England, has traced the Lord’s church through the centuries.
Evidence indicates that the church of Christ has continually
existed throughout the centuries since its establishment in the
first century. We can also be certain that it continually
existed by way of the inspired Word of God. The Word of God is
the seed of His kingdom, Luke 8:11).

A.In the 17 and 1800s there were those who returned to the
Bible pattern to restore pure New Testament Christianity. In so
doing, they did not establish a new church, but returned to the
one already established.

1.The planting of the pure and unadulterated Word of God
will produce Christians and only Christians.

1 Pet. 4:11,
“If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God;…”

1 Pet. 1:23,
“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of
incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for
ever.”

Luke 8:11,
“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.”

2.We must place our trust in the inspired Word of God, not
in the creeds of uninspired men.

1 Cor. 4:6,
“And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred
to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn
in us not to think of men above that which is written, that
no one of you be puffed up for one against another.”

B.We must refrain from digressing to the right or left of
legalism and liberalism.

Josh. 1:7-9, “Only be thou strong and very courageous,
that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which
Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right
hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou
goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth;
but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest
observe to do according to all that is written therein: for
then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt
have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of
a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for
the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

a.What was true of those living under the old covenant, is
also true of those of us who are living under the new
covenant.

C.The Son of God has the priority of determining what shall
be bound on earth and what shall be loosed.

Matt. 16:19,
“And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of
heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound
in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven.” (See also Matt. 18:18).

1.These include: they deemphasize baptism, add innovations
into the worship service, promote women taking leading parts in
the worship services of the church, have no objection to women
serving as elders, deacons, and preachers, promote a new
hermeneutics (claiming that the letters of the New Testament are
only love letters), attempt to loose from the Lord’s teaching on
marriage, divorce, and remarriage, and promote fellowship of
those outside the spiritual body of Christ.

VIII.WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF THE LORD’S CHURCH?

A.The church of Christ, which is the spiritual kingdom of
our Lord, has never been destroyed and never will be.

Heb. 12:28,
“Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let
us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with
reverence and godly fear.”

B.When the Lord returns, He will find both faithful and
unfaithful citizens in His spiritual kingdom, which is His
church.

Matt.
12:41-43, “The Son of man shall send forth his angels,
and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend,
and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace
of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then
shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of
their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

C.When Christ returns at the end of time, He will receive
His kingdom and deliver it unto the Heavenly Father.

1 Cor.
15:23-24, “But every man in his own order: Christ the
first fruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom
to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule
and all authority and power.”

Conclusion:

The church of
Christ is the redeemed. It is the responsibility of the church
of our Lord to uphold the doctrine of Christ, which is His
gospel.

Our Lord’s
church, which is His spiritual bride, must remain pure in
doctrine, in practice, and in the heart.

Eph. 5:25-27,
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the
church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and
cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might
present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or
wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and
without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own
bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.”